Instant Family. The kind of movie that I just really wanted to see instantly again after watching it for the first time! Going into it, I didn't really know what to expect. I've seen the trailer ages ago and for some reason in my head it didn't really register what the 'instant' in the title symbolised. So I thought I was in for an evening of laughs in this heartwarming, feel-good comedy. What I didn't expect was the tears.
Oh, man. The tears. They flowed freely in several scenes. By the time the credits rolled, I, along with the rest of my row were ugly crying our hearts out. The premiere should have been sponsored by Kleenex because you are going to need it.
Instant Family centres around Ellie and Pete Wagner (played by Rose Byrne and Mark Whalberg), who could no longer pretend that there was something missing in their seemingly perfect marriage/lives. They end up adopting three kids including teenage girl Lizzie (portrayed by Isabela Moner). Chaos ensues. It's hard enough being a first time parent, but to be parents to three kids in very different stages of live overnight? Now that's another story.
The film is loosely based on director Sean Anders' life and I'm glad it's told from a 'real' perspective. It's based on a true story - or as the film says - it's based on a real family. And that shows in the film. You could really tell that these experiences have been lived, that it was done genuinely with good intent. Anything that involves vulnerable children is a difficult thing to portray and this film did it with such empathy, compassion, sensitivity, humour, and reality. It takes a lot of work to make a film like this happen and I'm glad that they did. It not only showed the reality of adoption, but more than that, the film gave us the why.
Some of the film's most comedic moments are from the social workers played by the ever brilliant Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro. I read somewhere that these characters were inspired by real people too and from their experience, social workers do have a bit of a dry, dark humour. With the nature of their work and the stuff that they deal with on a daily basis, all the heartbreaking horror situations they deal with... it's no wonder they use humour to cope.
And so does this film. It has a lot of laugh out loud funny moments which makes the heartwarming scenes even better. By the end of it, you feel like you're part of their family and in those two hours or so, you've grown with them and recognise your own family in theirs.
This film couldn't have come at a better time. In today's current landscape where we put children in cages at the border and separate them from their families. In a time where the world is just so over populated and yet we have so many children in foster care and orphanages. In a world where we are more accepting of the fact that the definition of family is more than a mum, dad, and biological kids and that modern families are just as good as any family... this film is not only needed, but necessary.
Instant Family really is the perfect movie to start 2019 with. It comes out in NZ today and I really hope you do go out and see it. And bring tissues. Like, a lot of them. Heck, bring a whole bloody box. You'll need it.
Instant Family. The kind of movie that I just really wanted to see instantly again after watching it for the first time! Going into it, I didn't really know what to expect. I've seen the trailer ages ago and for some reason in my head it didn't really register what the 'instant' in the title symbolised. So I thought I was in for an evening of laughs in this heartwarming, feel-good comedy. What I didn't expect was the tears.
Oh, man. The tears. They flowed freely in several scenes. By the time the credits rolled, I, along with the rest of my row were ugly crying our hearts out. The premiere should have been sponsored by Kleenex because you are going to need it.
Instant Family centres around Ellie and Pete Wagner (played by Rose Byrne and Mark Whalberg), who could no longer pretend that there was something missing in their seemingly perfect marriage/lives. They end up adopting three kids including teenage girl Lizzie (portrayed by Isabela Moner). Chaos ensues. It's hard enough being a first time parent, but to be parents to three kids in very different stages of live overnight? Now that's another story.
The film is loosely based on director Sean Anders' life and I'm glad it's told from a 'real' perspective. It's based on a true story - or as the film says - it's based on a real family. And that shows in the film. You could really tell that these experiences have been lived, that it was done genuinely with good intent. Anything that involves vulnerable children is a difficult thing to portray and this film did it with such empathy, compassion, sensitivity, humour, and reality. It takes a lot of work to make a film like this happen and I'm glad that they did. It not only showed the reality of adoption, but more than that, the film gave us the why.
Some of the film's most comedic moments are from the social workers played by the ever brilliant Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro. I read somewhere that these characters were inspired by real people too and from their experience, social workers do have a bit of a dry, dark humour. With the nature of their work and the stuff that they deal with on a daily basis, all the heartbreaking horror situations they deal with... it's no wonder they use humour to cope.
And so does this film. It has a lot of laugh out loud funny moments which makes the heartwarming scenes even better. By the end of it, you feel like you're part of their family and in those two hours or so, you've grown with them and recognise your own family in theirs.
This film couldn't have come at a better time. In today's current landscape where we put children in cages at the border and separate them from their families. In a time where the world is just so over populated and yet we have so many children in foster care and orphanages. In a world where we are more accepting of the fact that the definition of family is more than a mum, dad, and biological kids and that modern families are just as good as any family... this film is not only needed, but necessary.
Instant Family really is the perfect movie to start 2019 with. It comes out in NZ today and I really hope you do go out and see it. And bring tissues. Like, a lot of them. Heck, bring a whole bloody box. You'll need it.
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